


the divide between the land and sea

by ZephyrEden



Series: the best is a subjective standard [1]
Category: Cedar Falls, Original Work, Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Original Characters - Freeform, Pokemon AU, Strangers to Friends, but inspired by all parts of the pokemon multiverse, friendship and platonic love all around, lots of creative liberties taken, probably no romance in this part but, protags and rivals and the lot aged up to teenagers, rating pending based on how dark i end up getting, so of course i had to write it, story based mostly on the games, the main characters are also teenagers, this idea very quickly got out of hand, will likely end up added tags as this goes on
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-17
Updated: 2018-05-17
Packaged: 2019-05-08 00:47:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14682990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZephyrEden/pseuds/ZephyrEden
Summary: Eden wants to be a Champion, no matter how hard the battle is to the top. At least that's what he says if he's asked. No one needs to know who he's looking for. In fact, it'd be better if they stay out of his way.X isn't a battler. Hell, he's not even a trainer. Having a Pokemon of any kind at this point is a total fluke. The only reason he's even out here is because starving in the forest is a better alternative to staying in that house. He'd really prefer to go without starving, though.Posy dreams of being a Top Coordinator. Sometimes she'll even claim to be shooting for Master Coordinator. But she was eliminated in the top 16 of her first Grand Festival and she didn't even manage to make it into the main event of the last one. She's determined to win it this time, even if it means another stretch of months entirely on her own. She's got her Pokemon with her so she can't be that lonely, right?Izumi has moved more times than he can count. He's seen a lot of things and he's met a lot of people, but he's finding it harder and harder to hold on to memories that feel more worthless the more times he makes them. All he wants is a chance to do something. It might be closer than he thinks.





	the divide between the land and sea

**Author's Note:**

> This work is based around original characters. X and Posy belong to pastelbro. Eden and Izumi along with their families belong to me.

The vibrations from the razor make his scalp tingle as he drags the blades across the side of his head, clumps of blonde hair falling to the ground.

“You know, you… you don’t have to do this, Eden,” his mother says in a somber tone, but not even she can force conviction into her words.

He doesn’t say anything, just brings the razor back to the hairline lining his forehead and buzzes another strip of hair off. He has to do this, they both know he does.

She sighs, pushing off the door frame. “I’ll go make sure you have everything you need.” She knows he won’t argue with her about this, so she doesn’t wait for an answer. The house is eerily quiet these days, even their normally robust Pokémon strangely subdued, so her footsteps leave a trail of muffled echoes as she pads down the hall to her son’s room.

The door creaks just like it always has when she opens it, but the familiarity of it leaves a sense of foreboding with her instead of comfort. The room is just as tidy as it’s been for the months he’d been gone, but she knows a layer of dust is going to be settling on it again soon. It’s not that she wants to keep him here, she’s never wanted to stifle her son’s freedom, but there’s a nagging in her gut that leaves her wondering if it’s okay to let him go for what might be the wrong reasons.

She sighs again, forcing the air from her lungs before sucking it up again, walking into the room and pulling the closet doors open. She frowns as she pulls out the backpack that’s been stuck in there for the last three weeks, fingers grazing the spots where it’s been worn down and discolored from loving use. It’s well made, though, so she’s not worried about it falling apart during his journey.

There’s a series of knocks at the door followed by a silence from the razor turning off. She pokes her head back into the hallway, only moving towards the front door when she doesn’t see her son leave the bathroom to do so. She barely has the door open before a child and their Pokémon are running past her.

“Cadence,” the woman still outside calls sternly. The little girl stops running and nods, picking up her squirming Lillipup before it can get away. The woman sighs and looks back at the home owner. “Hey, Zella,” she says calmly, quietly, trying to bring a small bit of comfort to the house.

Zella appreciates it. “Hello, Ivy. Please, come in,” she invites with a small smile, moving out of the way and closing the door behind her guest.

Cadence hops up on one of the couches, patting the space next to her for her mom. Ivy nods and sits down. “So, he’s leaving?”

Zella nods, sitting in a chair with her spine too straight, but she can’t find it in herself to relax. “Tonight. Just need to make sure he’s got everything he needs, then he’ll be off.”

Ivy nods in turn, sympathy etched into her features. “Are you okay with that?”

She shrugs, but there’s a hint of fondness and nostalgia on her face. “We all need to go on our own journeys.” A Typhlosion lumbers in from another room, yawning and sitting on the floor next to Zella’s chair so she can pat its head. “Though I must admit,” she adds with a wistful sigh, a longing for youth as she stares at the Pokémon that’s been with her since the beginning. “I do miss going on journeys of my own.”

“What are you guys doing here?” Eden interrupts, a flatness in his voice that they’ve come to recognize over the years. He’s not trying to be rude, but he’s not in the mood to deal with people trying to talk him out of his choices.

“Uncle Eden!” Cadence squeals, Lillipup jumping off her lap as she becomes a flash of blonde streaking across the room. She runs into him hard enough that he lets out a gasp when her head meets his stomach, but he still returns the arms wrapped around his waist with his own around her shoulders.

“Hey,” he murmurs, trying to soften his voice into something gentler for her.

She squeezes tighter for half a second before she looks up at him, beaming before her eyes go wide and she jumps back. “Your hair!” she cries in shock, pointing at it as if he didn’t know where his own hair was.

His fingers drift up and graze the tiny strands now making up the buzzed side of his head. He feels a little lighter without long strands there. “I cut it,” he says numbly, his arm dropping back to his side.

There’s a beat of silence before Ivy catches his attention, leaning forward with a grin and a thumbs up. “I like it, kid. It suits you.”

“Thanks…” he says slowly. He knows at least one reason she’s here, so he’d rather skip the pleasantries regardless of how sincere they may be.

Ivy sighs, reading the look on his face clear as day. “Yeah, yeah,” she waves off, reaching into her pocket to pull out a shrunken pokéball. “Come over here.” Eden obeys with a nod, taking the seat her daughter previously had while she releases her Pokémon in front of them. “You ready, Audi?”

The Audino in front of them nods, unfurling the feelers in its ears and reaching out to Eden with them. There’s a part of him that wants to hold his breath, but he ignores it. He closes his eyes and forces his breathing to be even. Ivy watches Audino closely, noticing the flicker of concern that appears on her face for a moment before going back to normal. The feelers remain outstretched for another minute before curling back, the Audino looking pleased with the results.

“Well, there won’t be any arguments from me,” Ivy says, smiling as she watches the happy Pokémon pat Eden’s knee. “You officially have a clean bill of health. What is this, your sixth one?”

Eden scowls and everyone breathes a little easier seeing the emotion return to his face. “Ha ha,” he deadpans, standing up. “Very funny.” He looks down, patting Audino on the head. “Thanks, Audi.”

“Where are you going?” Zella asks as her son moves towards the hallway.

“My room. Gotta pack,” he answers while walking away.

“Do you need anything?” she calls after him. Her Typhlosion fidgets, a wary eye watching her tense up.

He pauses and turns back to the main room, shaking his head. “Nothing I can’t get when I get there.”

“Do you want me to take any of your Pokémon down to the Center real quick?” Ivy offers. “You’ve got a bit of a trip before your arrival.”

Something flickers across Eden’s face, something akin to guilt. He scratches at his buzzed hair before running his fingers through the longer part, letting it fall back in his face once his hand is loose. “Not… necessary…”

“Eden,” Ivy reprimands like she does with her own child.

“I was thinking about starting fresh,” Eden explains, eyes averted. “Like mom used to do.”

Zella quirks an eyebrow. She’s never heard her son talk about sharing this sentiment. “I don’t mind if you leave them here,” she says slowly and Typhlosion rises higher when her fingers clench slightly in his fur. “I’m sure Cadence will help me take care of them.”

“Yes, of course!” the little girl cheers, her arms in the air in anticipation of all the new Pokémon friends she’s soon to make.

“But,” Zella adds firmly and doesn’t miss the way her son winces. She sighs, her own eyes falling to the floor. “With all that’s happened… I’d just feel better if you brought at least one of them with you.”

Eden is quiet for a minute, then nods. “I can agree to that,” he says and he’s surprised that it isn’t hard to do so. It’d be strange to be completely alone, anyways.

Zella smiles, a fondness lining the creases around her eyes that’s reserved for her son. “Then get packing.”

He smiles in return and starts walking towards his room.

“And don’t forget to see the Professor once you get there!” Ivy shouts after him. “I’ve already given him a call!”

“Got it!” Eden yells back, his voice muffled as it echoes down the hall.

Zella slumps over, her arms wrapping around Typhlosion’s neck while she nuzzles into his cheek. “A wild one, isn’t he, Aidyn?” she mumbles. Typhlosion’s whining grunt seems to agree.

 

~ ~ ~

 

There’s an Eevee pacing outside his window. It lets out small cries and whimpers every now then, the sounds occurring more often the longer he takes. He huffs under his breath, pushing the window up to open it and cautiously leaning outside to see the small creature waiting for him.

“You have to be quiet,” he whispers, eyes darting around to make sure no one and nothing else is lurking outside. “I’m almost done, just give me a couple more-“ His entire body freezes, his spine uncomfortably stiff and snapped straight.

There’s a creak from across the house. He’s very familiar with the sound by now, knowing that this particular creak is from the door to the master bedroom. He shoos the Eevee away and it listens this time, sprinting away into the underbrush. He closes the window as quickly and quietly as he can, his socked feet skidding across the room as he kicks his things under the bed and gets himself under the covers. He shoves most of his face into the pillow, rolling his shoulder towards the wall while his legs crunch up towards his torso. He wants as little of him to be visible as possible.

The door opens and he forces himself not to flinch, focusing entirely on slowing his breathing down to an acceptable level for someone that’s supposed to be asleep. He hears footsteps enter the room, but he doesn’t dare to move. They pause for a moment and he can feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand on edge. They move towards the window and his teeth bite harshly into the inside of his cheek. He keeps up the charade, though, waiting through what feels like hours before the door is closed again. He still doesn’t move for a few more minutes, just to make sure they’re actually gone.

When he does move, he does so slowly. He rolls onto his other side and settles back into the pillow, one eye opening no more than a sliver. His vision isn’t clear like this, but it’s enough to know that there’s no one else in there. He opens his eyes wider then squints at the door, checking for shadows beneath it. When he feels safe enough to move again, he does so with even more careful precision than he was before. He lowers himself to floor slowly, pulling out his backpack and the clothes he didn’t have a chance to put in it yet.

He does his best to fold them neatly, trying to flatten them to the bottom of the bag so they take up as little room as possible. Even though he only has a few pieces of clothing, they take up more space than he’d like. It’s not that the backpack is necessarily that small, either. It’s just the backpack he’s had for most of his life, dirty and falling to pieces and quite obviously made for a child or someone of smaller stature. It looks just the wrong side of odd on him now.

It doesn’t matter much, he figures. It’s not like he owns a lot of things, anyways. There isn’t much more that he needs to fit in it.

He scoots over to the box in the corner of the room that’s acted as his closet and dresser for years now, unfolding the worn cardboard flaps carefully so they don’t tear right off. Now that his clothes are gone from it, there’s not a lot left. He pulls out the journal he’s been using as a sketchbook for the past few years and the small pouch of drawing utensils he’s collected to do so, placing them on the bed so the thin mattress absorbs any noise. The only thing left is a small wooden box, resting unassumingly at the very bottom. He picks it up gently and stands, padding over to his bed and setting it down. He opens the lid slowly.

He already knows what’s inside, having memorized the contents of it years ago – worn down photos, the yellowed autograph of a famous trainer, a red handkerchief wrapped around an old gym badge from his father that’s starting to rust, a feather that his mother gave him when he was young that she swore was from one of the legendaries she would tell him stories about. He’s not worried about any of that stuff; they don’t make enough noise for him to worry. It’s the two beaded bracelets that he’s after, the ones that his older sister had bought them to match in celebration of her officially becoming a trainer. He’s lucky that he has them both still, but it’s only now that he feels brave enough to put them on. He swallows around the lump in his throat, ignoring his stinging eyes as he slides the smooth beads past his hands and onto each of his slim wrists. The weight of them feels like a comfort for once instead of a burden.

He closes the box again and packs it into his backpack along with his other things then reaches for his pillow. He pulls it out of the case, looking for the hole in seam on the other side. The hole isn’t big, but he can wiggle his hand through it enough to grab at the small wad of money he’s managed to scrounge up after all this time. He puts the pillow back in its case before pocketing the money and zipping the bag closed, pulling on his jacket before slinging the straps over his shoulders. He opens the window again and grabs his shoes from beneath it, tossing them into the damp grass outside then crawling over the window sill after them.

He breathes a sigh of relief when the grass muffles the sounds of his impact. He turns around to pull the window closed then sits to pull on his sneakers, scanning his surroundings to make sure nothing is amiss. He stands up slowly, looking at the underbrush but not seeing any movement. He takes a calming breath as he looks around.

“Eevee?” he calls at volume just above a whisper despite his nerves. “Eevee, we need to-“

He clenches his jaw shut so he doesn’t yelp when the small Pokémon leaps up to him, his arms wrapping around it on instinct. “Don’t do that,” he breathes, his heart hammering. He’s glad to see the Pokémon has the decency to look sorry.

“You ready to get out of here?” he asks, back to being wary. He takes the snuggling against his chin to be a yes.

He takes a deep breath and holds it as he starts to move across the open area that separates the house from the forest, his eyes concentrating on the tree line. Time slows to a crawl as he walks across the field before it suddenly speeds up as soon as he passes the trees. His hold on Eevee tightens as he breaks into a sprint. He knows he shouldn’t be, his instincts yelling at him to stop before he wakes up any wild Pokémon that he’s currently not equipped to deal with, but there’s another part of him that’s _screaming_ for him to get away as fast as possible and as far away as he can. So he listens.

He thinks it’s a miracle that he hasn’t tripped over any rocks or roots by the time he stops, that despite the agony his burning lungs are putting him through right now he was able to avoid any Pokémon he saw along the way. He still doesn’t feel safe, though. He lets himself put down Eevee, his hands clasping his knees as he tries to pump some oxygen into his lungs.

“We need… need to keep walking…” he pants to Eevee and the creature makes a noise of assurance, staying close to his side as he stumbles forward. He’s not exactly sure where they are, but he hopes that if he keeps walking they’ll find a town eventually.

His hope is starting to dwindle as the hours pass by, almost plummeting entirely when midnight skies give way to a streak of light on the horizon. His face falls, too lost in his own thoughts of starving to death while lost in the woods that it takes him a moment to realize he can see a route in the distance. “Oh thank Arceus,” he mumbles in relief, picking up his pace as much as he can despite how heavy his legs feel. “See a sign anywhere?” he asks Eevee, both of them looking around.

“I don’t usually see people out this early.”

Jolting hard, he turns towards the voice while Eevee scampers to hide behind his legs. Hand to his chest, he tries to slow his racing heart as he realizes the voice came from the now apologetic looking girl in front of him.

“Sorry, sorry,” she says sheepishly, one hand raised in front of her while the other scratches at the bow tied in her hair. “I was just surprised to see someone else out here already.”

“It’s… it’s fine,” he says eventually, dropping his hand now that he feels like he won’t go into cardiac arrest.

“I’m May,” she introduces with a smile, holding her hand out to shake. “I hope I didn’t startle you too badly.”

Staring at the hand, he’s slightly hesitant as he reaches out to shake it, but relaxes once she easily grasps it and shakes before letting go. “I’m X,” he adds, not wanting to seem rude. “And don’t worry, I’m fine now.”

May’s eyes light up, a mischievous smile on her lips. “X, huh? That’s a cool name,” she giggles. “Mysterious.”

X averts his eyes, fighting off the urge to blush. “S-So, if you never see people out here this early, why are you out here?” he asks, eager to change the subject.

She looks surprised to be asked, but lets it shift back into a friendly grin. “I’m training. My dad, he’s the gym leader in Petalburg. I know that I’ve technically beaten him already and I’ve got the badge, but…” A small pout forms on her lips. “I only had a couple badges then so I know he couldn’t face me at his full power. But I want to battle him like that and I want to win. To prove myself to him.” Her determination fades to embarrassment, noticing that she probably said too much. “Well, he would say that I don’t need to prove myself,” she laughs. “Not to him, at least. But it’s something I need to prove for myself.”

X tries to not be in utter awe of her resolve.

“What about you? Why are you out here?” she asks with a tilt of her head.

“Oh,” X starts, not prepared for that question despite being the one to ask first. His eyes wander back to the trees he barely made his way out of. “I, uh, got lost. In the woods,” he stammers, jabbing his thumb towards the trees.

May nods sympathetically. “Yeah, the forest over there is really dense. It can definitely be hard to find your way once you get all turned around. Lucky that you got out okay, though,” she offers with a smile.

“Yeah,” X agrees sincerely. “If only I was lucky enough to find a town now.”

“Oh?” she questions. “Slateport isn’t far from here, maybe thirty minutes south?” She points towards the direction she came from, a thoughtful look still on her face as she stares at the ground. “Maybe even less than that… Oh!” she suddenly exclaims, crouching down after her eyes caught sight of the Pokémon behind his ankles. “What a cute little Eevee! Did your poor trainer get lost? I’m sure you helped him out, didn’t you,” she says in a higher pitched voice.

“I’m not its trainer,” X says without thinking and immediately wants to shove the words back in his mouth when May lifts her head and shoots him a curious raise of her eyebrow. He laughs nervously and looks back towards the woods. “We ran into each other in the woods,” he starts to bluff, his mind rapidly searching for an excuse. “I gave it some berries and its been following me ever since. I would have caught it, but I… I don’t have any pokéballs!” he exclaims a bit too enthusiastically.

May stands up and he’s terrified for a second before she smiles at him in understanding. “That’s just the worst, isn’t it? But don’t worry, I’ve got plenty on me. You can definitely have one of mine.” She unzips the pack strapped around her waist and starts digging around.

X’s eyes widen, his mouth slightly agape. “No, no, you really don’t have to do that. I can just… buy some once I make it to town.”

May already has a ball in her hand, though, holding it out to him. “Don’t be silly. Eevee here totally wants to be your partner, don’t leave it waiting!”

He’s reluctant to take it, but she grabs his hand and places it on his palm before letting go. He furrows his eyebrows when he sees the black, red, and gold design. “This isn’t a normal pokéball.”

“It’s a luxury ball,” May explains, seemingly proud of herself. “They’re really nice and are supposed to make Pokémon more comfortable. A friend of mine gave me some as a gift a little while ago, but I haven’t used them much. I think Eevee here will definitely like it, though,” she assures with a nod.

He gulps, tightening his hand around the small ball as he looks down at Eevee. “You wanna be my partner, then? I can’t promise we won’t get lost in the woods again.”

Eevee yips excitedly, running a little ways away so it can run in circles. It stops to look at X, its eyes bright.

“Here goes nothing then,” X says to himself. He’s a little nervous, he realizes, as he presses the button so the pokéball grows to its full size. He’s not a trainer, he doesn’t have a Pokémon, he’s never even done this before. Holding his breath he throws the ball forward, hoping he didn’t throw it too hard before it bounces off Eevee’s ear. The ball opens and a stream of light pours out to encapsulate Eevee and bring it inside. The ball closes and lands on the ground and X can hear his heart beating in his ear as the ball shakes three times before stopping with a small clicking noise.

“Told you Eevee wanted to go with you!” May giggles, patting his shoulder in congratulations.

X exhales and nods, smiling a little breathlessly at May. “Thank you,” he says sincerely. He jogs over to the ball and picks it up then holds it out so the stream of light is angled towards the ground in front of him. Eevee reappears, leaping joyfully into his arms.

May watches the little show in front of her with a big grin until she notices the sun has risen further into the sky. “Sorry to interrupt, but I need to go train now,” she says with a hint disappointment. “But I hope we run into each other! I’d love to see how you and Eevee get along in the future!”

X nods, his cheeks hurting from unconsciously smiling for much longer than he’s used to. “I hope we meet again, too,” he says and he means it.

May starts heading north, walking backwards so she can point ahead. “Don’t forget! Slateport, thirty minutes that way!”

“Thank you, May!” he calls out after her, waving as she starts to run. “You ready, Eevee?” he asks.

Eevee scampers up to his shoulder, nuzzling against his face. He laughs and puts the pokéball in his pocket. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

 

~ ~ ~

 

The sound of applause leaks from the main floor into the rooms backstage. It’s not as loud there, the sound muffled and muted by walls and doors and curtains, but she has an idea of what it sounds like out there.

Thunderous. And that’s the performance she has to follow.

She takes a deep breath and holds it for a few seconds before slowly letting it pass back out from between her barely parted lips. She steels her nerves, ready to go out there and steal the show.

At least that’s what she tells herself. The one thing she’s learned after doing this for a couple years now is that it never gets easier to go out there and show them everything you’ve got. It never gets easier to lose. It never gets easier to win.

It’s her turn to go out. She fluffs out her dress one more time and puts on her brightest smile, twirling out past the curtains and stopping when she reaches her place. The spotlights never stop being so bright. She’s glad they don’t stay on the entire time.

“And now for our last coordinator of the Slateport Contest’s Appeals Round – Posy!” the announcer cries enthusiastically, the crowd already cheering for her.

She holds the pokéball with graceful fingers, throwing it up in the air in a well-practiced arc. “Go, Lilia!”

The pokéball opens with a flurry of petals and the audience is immediately entranced. The rest of the lights turn on to show the Lilligant landing gently on the ground, but the light grows warmer and more intense as the Pokémon brings sunshine into the arena.

“Lilia,” Posy calls, throwing her arm out in a pose Lilligant immediately mimics. “Quiver Dance and Grass Whistle!”

Lilia starts moving in elegant circles, spinning around while beginning to sing a soothing song. The audience relaxes, eyes following the Pokémon as she moves across the field then reaches the center again.

“Petal Dance!” Posy adds and the pink petals erupt around Lilia again as she spins faster and twists them into gentle cyclone around her. The sunlight intensifies for a second before dimming back to the hall lights again and at that moment Lilia stops dancing and singing. The petals seem to hover in the air for a long moment before they begin to softly flutter towards the ground.

The audience erupts into loud cheers and Posy instantly feels her smile become more natural. She and Lilia move to bow in sync, silently thanking the audience before they head back to the waiting area backstage while the judges deliberate as to which four will move on to the second stage.

As soon as they’re out of the crowd’s line of sight, Posy wraps her arms around the Pokémon and feels thin leaf like appendages do the same to her. “You were absolutely fantastic,” she praises, pulling back to see how happy Lilligant looks. “You get more dazzling every contest, I swear. We’re definitely going to make it to the finals today.”

“You really think so?”

Posy’s face falls as she straightens and looks over her shoulder to see the coordinator that went before her. She’s seen him at a few contests before, but never got the chance to face him in the battle portion due to his poor scores. If the audience is anything to go by, he’s gotten better recently. “Yes, I do,” she was a soft expression, her lips curled into a faint smile while her voice lilts her confidence. There’s no mistaking the harsh challenge it hides.

The man snorts gruffly, a haughty wave of his hand trying to brush away the words. “Well, I guess we’ll be seeing soon enough.”

“I suppose so,” she responds in the same manner, a fiery pleasure igniting in her chest when she sees how much the display annoys him. He scoffs and walks away and her face hardens.

Four faces light up the screen on the far wall and, despite the coordinators crowding it, she can see her own portrait along with the pompous ass’ in between the other two.

Lilia looks up at Posy worriedly, but Posy smiles easily in return. “We’re going to destroy him in the most beautiful way,” she states bluntly.

Lilia bounces in excitement as they move back to the main stage for the first round of battle.

 

~ ~ ~

 

“Thanks, Machamps! You guys sure were a lot of help!”

The Machamps grin proudly, stacking the last moving boxes in the corner of the living room. They look over as someone else stumbles in the room, rushing over to take the stack of wobbly folders from their hands.

“Thank you,” the woman smiles, now able to wipe the sweat from her brow with her free hand. She looks over to her son, rolling her eyes while he yawns. “I know it was a long trip, Izumi, but I’d appreciate it if you could move your boxes up to your room before you nap. Your father and I can handle the rest of the boxes down here.”

Izumi nods while he shakes the hair out of his face, clipping back the white strands that came loose with the movement. “Got it.” He starts moving then stops when he feels something in his pocket, a bright beam of light shooting out of it a moment later.

“Looks like Admiral wants to help,” his mother giggles. The small Piplup chirps with her.

“Let’s get started, then,” Izumi beams. He moves past a few boxes, finding one near the kitchen with his name on it. It’s only after he lifts it that he notices Piplup is nowhere near him. He turns around in confusion, laughing when he finds him with his head craned all the way back in order to look up at one of the Machamps in curiosity.

“Come on, come on,” he calls as he walks up the stairs, the Pokémon startling when he sees his trainer departing. It works hard to hop up the slightly too tall steps but makes it to the top thanks to his effort.

“Over here,” Izumi says when he sees Admiral looking around in confusion. He knocks his heel against the open door at the end of the hall and he can’t help but chuckle when Piplup jumps slightly before scuttling over to him. Putting the box down, he lifts the Pokémon up to his bed where it promptly flops over on the soft mattress.

“I know,” Izumi agrees with a sigh as he plops down on the floor in front of the box, leaning against the bed. “It was a really long trip. Being stuck in the back of the truck for the last bit wasn’t that fun either.” He leans his head back, smiling softly when Piplup clambers over to rest his chin against his trainer’s forehead. “I know you’re happy to be out of your pokéball, too.”

Admiral chirps happily and hangs on when Izumi straightens, laying on top of his head while he starts to open the first box. He falls asleep after not too long and Izumi can’t blame him. It’s nothing exciting, all things considered, and they’ve already done this a dozen times before. He tries to be careful as he moves, though, so he doesn’t wake his sleeping passenger.

It takes a few hours to get through all the boxes and organize everything in its new rightful place. He takes his time with it, knowing this will likely be the only time the room is clean before they pack up to move again. He claps his hands together, wiping the thin layer of grime off them before looking the room over with his hands on his hips. The sound startles Piplup awake, but Izumi catches him with practiced ease when he tumbles off his head.

“Looks good, huh?” Izumi asks, lifting Admiral back up to his preferred perch on top of him. “Almost homey.” Admiral makes a sleepy sound in return.

“Izumi, you missed a box!” his mother calls from downstairs. Izumi looks towards the hall with a frown and a furrow in his brow. He knows he got them all.

With a shrug, he heads back down the stairs, slowing his descent when he sees his parents sitting at the table with a small box in the center. “What’s… going on?” he asks slowly. He feels like he’s walking into a trap.

“Well,” his father starts, sounding serious. “Your mother and I have some news.” He gestures to the chair in front of him.

“O…kay…” Izumi continues, hesitantly pulling out the chair and taking a seat.

His mother looks to her husband then back to her son, eyes bright and a smile twitching at her lips. “We got a call the other day, right after we left Sinnoh,” she starts, seeming to get more excited with every word.

Izumi raises an eyebrow. “What kind of call?”

“A work call,” his father answers.

Izumi feels his stomach drop. He doesn’t mind moving, not really. It means he gets to see and experience a lot of new places and new things. But they just got here and if they tell him that they already found the next place they’re going and they’ll be leaving in a month, he thinks he’ll just choose to sleep those days away. He hates short stays like that.

“We’ll be staying indefinitely!” his mom cheers, knocking him out of his stupor.

Izumi blinks a few times. He isn’t sure he can comprehend those words in that sentence in that order. “Indefinitely?” His parents nod. “Like… _indefinitely_ indefinitely?” Another set of nods. “What- Why- For _what_?”

“It seems that there are several groups that would like our particular brand of assistance,” his father explains. “We’ve already been offered several new research contracts and have had our previous one extended. At the very least, I’d estimate our stay here to be over a year.”

Izumi doesn’t know how to process that. He doesn’t even remember the last time they’ve stayed someplace that long. He isn’t even sure if he has; the longest he can remember is six months.

“But saying that,” his dad adds on. “We have a job for you.”

“A job?” Izumi repeats, tilting his head a little and causing Admiral to have to grab his hair to hold on. His mother scoots the small box towards him. He stares at it for a second before reaching forward and opening it. There’s a device inside it, mostly grey and accented with lines of purple. He’s seen this before, but with less color.

“That’s a National Pokédex that we’ve been working on,” his mother says as she watches him. “It’s empty right now, but it’s designed to download the data from a region’s Pokédex and compile the information to work towards a global scale.”

He knows how long his parents have been working on this. He picks it up carefully to get a closer look.

His father chuckles. “You don’t need to be so delicate with it. It’s practically indestructible. Even Arceus would have a hard time breaking it.”

Izumi knows he should be laughing, that’s what he would usually do. Or maybe he should be smiling, to show them he appreciates this. Instead, he swallows harshly, looking back up at his parents. “Why are you giving me this?”

His parents exchange a look, but turn back to him with smiles. “Because we want you to fill it out,” his mother answers simply. “You’ve wanted to go on a journey with your Pokémon for years. Now, you finally can.”

Izumi’s mouth struggles to form words, opening and closing a few times while his eyes sting with the desire to let loose tears. Maybe he should be thinking about how big of an undertaking this is, but right now all he can feel is utter glee and gratefulness. “Thank you,” he finally manages after a minute and his parents each put hand on his arm to comfort him.

“We’ve already contacted the regional professor here,” his father adds. “His name is Birch; his laboratory is over in Little Root Town. He’s expecting you.”

“When do I leave?” Izumi asks a little too quickly, unable to hide his growing excitement.

His mother grins at him again. “Whenever you pack your bag.”

**Author's Note:**

> me and pastel restarted our moon/sun files the other week and i inevitably got really into the idea of an au that pastel (bless) got fully on board with. and since i've been spitting essay length ideas at her since then, it felt like i should just write it already and make it into something. i've got a vague idea of how things are gonna go and just gonna forewarn anyone who happens to read this that. its gonna be long. and i'm not exactly known for timely updates or like,,,,, updates at all lmao w h o o p s. but i am really into this idea so i'm gonna stick with it for as long as i can. hope you enjoy going on the journey with us!


End file.
